The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant:
U.S. Patent DocumentsPatent NumberKind CodeIssue DatePatentee2,558,496AJun. 26, 1951Gen Motors Corp3,813,726AJun. 4, 1974Cons Foods Corp7,657,967B2Feb. 9, 2010Lg Electronics Inc.6,148,475ANov. 21, 2000The Scott Fetzer Company
Many efforts have been made to improve the effectiveness of robotic vacuum cleaners. Usually, automated robotic vacuum cleaners do not collect every debris particle in an area in a single pass. One method of dealing with this issue is having the robot cover all areas multiple times. This solution, however, requires expending more time and energy to get the job done. Additionally, this solution does not help retrieve stuck particles, but only cleans particles located freely on top of surfaces.
Other solutions involve using varied types of agitation systems to remove or loosen dirt particles from the flooring. Striking the work surface is one method of agitation, however this method can also cause some particles to become more deeply embedded in the material.
A need exists for a method for automated robotic vacuums to more thoroughly vacuum surfaces that does not lengthen the cleaning time or require significant extra energy.